


This Time I Love You

by wjmoon



Series: Can’t Buy Me Love [1]
Category: Produce 101 (TV), UNIQ (Band), UP10TION, X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drinking, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, well it’s more than implied
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 01:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20018335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wjmoon/pseuds/wjmoon
Summary: After Seungyoun asks his friend Wooseok to pretend to be his boyfriend for a family wedding, he realizes he may have real feelings for him after all.





	This Time I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mess I’m sorry I just wanted to write it

Wooseok should have known that when Seungyoun asked him to hang out, it was to butter him up for something awful. It was especially obvious that he was up to something when his ever frugal (and borderline cheapskate) best friend also offered to pay, but who was he to pass up a night of free chicken and beer?

Seungyoun knew too that he wouldn’t be able to resist and took full advantage of that. Wooseok loved spending time with him, but they hadn’t had many opportunities to see each other since he started working. Seungyoun promised that the beer and chicken would give him the energy to go back into work and kick some administrative ass.

“Did you know that hops can help your muscles relax,” Seungyoun said, before cheering his pint with Wooseok’s.

“Is that why you’re always so tired,” Wooseok picked at his chicken. He pulled the skin off and dipped it into a sticky, spicy sauce. 

“Are you calling me a drunk?”

“I’m not  _ not _ calling you a drunk,” Wooseok teased. “Alright, tell me why you dragged me out here.”

“Can’t a guy treat his best friend just because he missed him,” Seungyoun whined.

“No.”

He wrinkled his nose as he pouted, but his lips crept into a smile. His hopeful eyes were kryptonite, and Wooseok knew he would end up giving in to whatever Seungyoun wanted, but he had no intention of making it easy.

Seungyoun, on the other hand, didn’t see Wooseok’s resistance as a challenge at all.

“I  _ might _ have a favor to ask,” Seungyoun admitted.

“Of course you do,” Wooseok teased.

“It’s not a big deal or anything,” he said casually. “It’s just my whole life and future depends on you saying yes.”

Wooseok snorted, but Seungyoun was being serious for once. He set something thin and white on the table. It was cardstock with gold leaf calligraphy and watercolor flowers on the front.

“What’s that,” he asked, curious.

Seungyoun passed it to him.

“A wedding invitation,” Wooseok asked. “For who?”

“My cousin is getting married in a couple of weeks,” he said, pale. Seungyoun rarely ever mentioned his family, and if he did, it wouldn’t have been anyone outside of his immediate family. They had been friends for years, and Wooseok had never met his mom or even been to her house. 

“Are you going?”

“I have to,” he said. “But there’s a problem.”

“Do you need me to drive you there and drop you off?”

“No, no,” Seungyoun said. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

Seungyoun shifted in his seat. “I need you to go with me.”

Wooseok choked on his beer. “Go with you? Like your babysitter?”

“No,” Seungyoun said, flustered. “Don’t make me say it. It’s embarrassing enough.”

Wooseok gathered himself. He propped his head on his hands and bat his eyelashes. He was going to make this painful. “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Noooo,” Seungyoun waved him away. “Absolutely not! I’m just asking you to  _ pretend _ to be my date!”

Wooseok shook his head. “Nuh uh. Sorry, I can’t.”

“Why not?!”

“I’m busy.”

“I’ll pay you!”

“You don’t have any money.”

“I– please,” Seungyoun said, whittled down. “You have no idea how important this is…”

“Just find a real date,” Wooseok said. “You’re quite capable of that.”

“No, I need you,” he said, his voice cracking. “You’re the only one I can trust to not screw it up.”

Wooseok’s heart might have fluttered if Seungyoun wasn’t so good at using his words for any occasion. 

“I’m sure you can find someone just as good on tinder,” he said, waving the waiter down for another beer. 

Seungyoun grabbed his hand and held it between his. “Wooseok. I am  _ begging _ you. I will do literally anything you ask if you help me deal with my family and get through my cousin’s wedding. Literally anything you want.”

Wooseok pulled his hand back. “Hmm, let me think. Clean my apartment for a month?”

“Absolutely.”

“Make me dinner twice a week?”

“I won’t even have it delivered.”

“Massage my feet when I get back from the gym?”

Seungyoun winced and shook his head.

“You said anything! That’s it! I’m not doing it,” Wooseok folder his arms and looked away.

Seungyoun practically threw himself across the table. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Make me dinner three times a week, and we have a deal,” Wooseok said.

“Deal!” Seungyoun threw his arms around him and kissed his cheek. 

“Yehck!” Wooseok pushed him off. “You’re all slobbery.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Seungyoun shouted, red faced and relieved.

Somehow, Wooseok knew he was going to regret this.

Seungyoun pulled up to Wooseok’s apartment building in the car he pretended he didn’t own for years. The wedding was just around the corner, and they needed to pick up a few things if this was going to work. 

When the invitation arrived, Seungyoun almost threw up. 

There was a hierarchy in his family, and his Rank One cousin was marrying some young, loaded, old-money tycoon who apparently was a saint if his mother’s information was to be believed. 

Seungyoun’s problem was that he was rapidly dropping to the bottom of the list of his grandparents’ family dynasty. He needed to make a good impression to push himself up a few slots or else he was going to lose everything. He couldn’t let that happen. 

That’s where Wooseok came in. Wooseok was smart, decently employed, polite, and pretty. He was perfect, and all of his aunts would bustle over him, showing his grandmother that he had a flower to add to her garden. In a couple of months, he would relay the regretful message that they had broken up. Maybe his grandparents’ would invite him and his mom back to their estate without the rest of his family to recover from the breakup. 

He had filled Wooseok in with most of the details already.  _ You’ll pretend to be my long term boyfriend, and we’re thinking about settling down, and then later I’ll tell them we broke up.  _ Wooseok surprisingly was fine with it.  _ It’s no problem, I get how stressful family can be, _ he had said. 

Everything was going to go exactly as planned, but now he had to figure out how to ease Wooseok into his extravagant family. 

Wooseok came out to meet him in a white and gray striped sweater that hung over his hands.

“Where are we going?”

“Come on,” Seungyoun said with a smile. “I’ll drive.”

“Whoa, whose car is this,” Wooseok gawked at the shiny, black foreign car.

“It’s a rental,” he lied. “I need to practice driving before we go.”

“Oh, Wooseok said. “Where are we going that requires you to drive?”

“We need to pick up a couple of suits and things,” Seungyoun said. “My treat.”

“You don’t have to get me one,” he insisted. “I have a suit left from graduation.”

Seungyoun shook his head. “Just trust me.”

Wooseok stood with his arms out to his sides and dread on his face. He held his breath, terrified one wrong move would rip the fabric, and he would have to give up one of his kidneys.

“Seungyoun,” he pleaded. “Is this necessary?”

“Yes,” Seungyoun said. He turned to the tailor and made a scooping motion with his hands. “Make sure to cup the fabric around his butt.”

The tailor stepped back and looked at Wooseok’s backside. He hummed. “I see what you mean.”

“Are you pimping me out,” Wooseok hissed.

When Seungyoun said they were going suit shopping, he conveniently left out the words “Armani” and “ custom cufflinks”. Wooseok didn’t even know Seungyoun knew what cufflinks were in the first place. He couldn’t believe he was being dressed like a doll by his friend and a tailor who was far too meticulous in measuring the shape of his ass cheeks. 

“Hold still,” the tailor scolded. 

“Sorry, it tickles.”

“Fashion does not  _ tickle. _ ”

“Sorry,” Wooseok mumbled. Seungyoun smirked in amusement. 

“Don’t look so smug, Mr. Cho,” the tailor said without turning away from his stitches. “You’re next.”

Seungyoun plopped down on a french salon style sofa. An attendant brought him a glass of champagne. 

“Thank you,” he said. 

Wooseok couldn’t understand how Seungyoun looked so comfortable there. He barely ever changed out of his sweatpants, and he was always mooching off of everyone around him for food and drinks and bus fare.

“All done,” the tailor said with a pat.

“How do I look,” Wooseok carefully lowered his arms.

“You look great! Like a million bucks!”

Wooseok’s eyes widened in horror. “I’m not wearing a million anything, am I…”

“Nooooo,” Seungyoun said. “Just a couple thousand.”

_ “What?!” _

“It’s fine,” he waved his hands. “It’s taken care of.”

Wooseok changed out of his suit and back into his normal, non threatening clothes while Seungyoun took his place. On the platform, Seungyoun twisted and squirmed like a small, rebellious child. 

“Mr. Cho,” the tailor warned.

Seungyoun frowned into the mirror. “You can leave it loose.”

“Your grandfather gave me strict instructions,” he said.

_ His grandfather? _

Wooseok drank from his own glass of champagne. He pulled out his phone while Seungyoun was busy and searched  _ Cho Seungyoun.  _ No special results came up, so it wasn’t like Seungyoun was some kind of rich heir or anything. Wooseok relaxed. His grandfather was probably just in the army with the tailor or something.

The drive to Seungyoun’s grandparents’ estate was a few hours from the city. It was huge, gated, and well guarded, and it was surrounded by mountains because his grandmother believed in the healing powers of natural air.

Wooseok fidgeted nervously in the seat next to him. They had gone over the plan a dozen times, and it was foolproof considering they were so close that Wooseok already knew everything about him. Well, almost everything.

“It’s not much further” Seungyoun said, breaking the silence.

“Your grandparents have a country home, right?”

“Something like that…”

Wooseok rolled down his window. “Wow, the air out here is amazing, isn’t?”

“Yep,” Seungyoun squeaked. He cleared his throat. 

“I wish I had come out with you before,” he said. “Grannies love me, you know.”

Seungyoun’s heart raced. This was a bad idea, and it was all going to blow up in his face.

They turned down a private drive and drove up to the gate. He rolled down his window and pulled out his ID pass.

The gate attendant examined it thoroughly. “Welcome, Mr. Cho.”

Seungyoun nodded and thanked him, feeling awkward with Wooseok in the car next to him and drove through the gate.

“Whoa! WHOA!” Wooseok’s jaw dropped. He took off his seatbelt and hopped forward to get a better view. “OH MY GOD!”

Seungyoun groaned. The estate came into view over the hill. If it didn’t bring up so many dreaded childhood memories, he might have thought it was magnificent. Wooseok was too busy having a meltdown in his seat to notice the misery on Seungyoun’s face. 

Seungyoun parked his car and took a breath.

“What is this?” Wooseok asked.

“My grandparents’ estate.”

“Their… estate,” Wooseok paled. “Not country house...”

Seungyoun shook his head. “Not country house.”

“What did you drag me into,” Wooseok said, putting his head in his hands.

“I was worried if I told you the truth, you would back out…”

“Hell yeah, I would have backed out. Are you kidding me?”

Seungyoun frowned. “Please, my family thinks I’m a failure, and if I show them I’m getting my life together  _ with you _ then they might like me again.

“Can’t you just, I don’t know, make your grandma something nice and get a job,” Wooseok asked, almost shouting.

“Not that kind of family,” Seungyoun said. “Fine, I will give you ten thousand dollars if you pretend like we’re the couple of the year and that you’re totally okay with all of this.”

“Deal,” Wooseok said, getting out of the car. “What are you waiting for. Let’s go!”

Seungyoun blinked. “Excuse me, I have to sit here and be nervous.”

“There’s no time,” Wooseok said grabbing their bags. “Come on! Let’s go!”

Wooseok clapped his hands and dragged Seungyoun out of the car, disregarding his attempts to protest. 

Seungyoun felt small between a porsche and a jaguar belonging to his cousins, but he hadn’t come this far just to feel like a child in the parking lot. 

“Alright,” he said, resolved. “Let’s go. 

Wooseok couldn’t wipe the amazement off of his face. His bright eyes were impossibly large as if he was in an amusement park for the first time in his life. Seungyoun wanted to tell him to be cool about it, but he was so cute that he didn’t care how silly they looked. Something about Wooseok’s excitement calmed his nerves. All he had to do was get through a weekend.

An attendant greeted them at the door. 

“Welcome, Mr. Cho,” he said brightly, before lowering his voice. “It’s good to see you, Seungyoun.”

“Is everyone here yet?”

“Just a few of your cousins,” he began.

“My beautiful boy!” A woman’s voice called out.

“And your mother…”

Seungyoun tensed and spun around. “Mom!”

She ran up and hugged him tightly, leaving a rose colored kiss on both of his cheeks. “And who is this handsome young man?”

“Hello, Mrs. Cho,” Wooseok stepped forward. “I’m Seungyoun’s–“

“My friend,” Seungyoun said. Wooseok gave him a confused look. “My  _ friend.” _

_ “Ahhh,”  _ she said. “Let me take a look at you.”

Seungyoun’s mother stepped backwards and examined Wooseok from his head to his toes. “My, you are stunning. Seungyoun always liked pretty things.”

Wooseok blushed and shifted uncomfortably.

“Mom, you’re being weird,” Seungyoun said, trying to spare his friend.

She broke out in a smile and hugged Wooseok too. “I’m so happy you both came!”

Seungyoun relaxed. His mom was the normal one in the family, and for a second he worried that she had completely gone over the edge.

“Let’s get you unpacked so we can visit,” she said.

The attendant reached for their bags but Seungyoun and Wooseok insisted on carrying their own. He bowed and left them to it.

They walked up a marble staircase over a wine colored rug to the second floor where the bedrooms were. Seungyoun and Wooseok were given the smallest guest rooms at the end of the hall, which would have been seen as a slight if he didn’t  _ want  _ to be as far away as possible. 

They stopped at Wooseok’s room first which was across the Seungyoun’s. Wooseok gasped when he opened the door. The back wall was made of glass and he could see the entire backside of the estate from where he stood, including the lake with the bridge that crossed over it, the maze, and the flower gardens. Seungyoun was happy he had gotten the nice view instead of him. 

Seungyoun’s mom, who he forgot was there, giggled. “Do you like it?”

Wooseok covered his face in shock. “I’m sorry I’ve just never seen a place like this.”

She laughed. “I was the same way when I first saw the family’s home too.”

Seungyoun sat on the bed, almost sinking into its mattress. Wooseok looked around the room in amazement, his mouth open. 

“There’s a chandelier too in case you forget that they want you to know how rich they are,” Seungyoun said, bored. 

Wooseok looked up at the spiral of crystals hanging above him and gasped.

“Traitor,” Seungyoun mumbled. 

Seungyoun’s mother wrapped her arm around Wooseok’s arm. “Come on, let me show you the house. Seungyoun, you can put up your things, can’t you?”

“Mom!”

Wooseok didn’t even look back.

Mrs. Cho gave Wooseok the full tour, her arm tight around his, but he didn’t feel comfortable at all. Seungyoun would kill him if he said so, but he was exactly like his mom. They shared the same brightness and same energy that always swept Wooseok away before he could catch his feet. 

She led him back down the staircase that seemed to sparkle under a much larger, more intense chandelier. Artwork covered every wall and as they walked around the estate, they passed multiple displays with everything from marble busts to vases made of gold and jade. 

“This is so beautiful,” he said. 

“Thank you,” she said. “Are you hungry?”

“I’m fine,” he said politely not wanting to impose. 

“I bet you’re hungry! You had a long drive!” She pushed him into the kitchen. 

The cooks were busy preparing for the wedding banquet. Wooseok panicked. “No, really! I’m fine!”

Seungyoun’s mom opened up one of the refrigerators and pulled out a covered platter. She winked, and they slid out before anyone noticed they had come in.

She led him out the back where there was a couple of tables and chairs on the terrace. It was brisk outside, but not too cold. She sat the platter down and uncovered it to reveal a plate stacked with corner-cut finger sandwiches. Wooseok’s stomach rumbled.

“Oh, there you are,” Seungyoun said. “I was searching for you two everywhere.”

Seungyoun’s mom stood up and sighed. “I forgot the lemonade.”

As she walked off, she gave Seungyoun a wink. He sat down next to Wooseok who was too shy to take a sandwich.

“You can eat,” Seungyoun teased. “They’re not poisoned.”

“I don’t want to be rude,” he said, his hands under the table. “I feel bad taking their food.”

“Oh, she does this every time I visit,” Seugyoun said, popping a sandwich into his mouth. “She made these herself, so if you don’t eat up, my mom’s feelings are going to be hurt.”

Wooseok’s eyes widened and he snatched up an egg salad wedge. The last thing he wanted to do was offend Seungyoun’s mom.

She returned with a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. 

“You’re eating with us,” Seungyoun asked.

She sat across from them and grabbed a sandwich. “Of course! I haven’t seen you in months.”

Wooseok was surprised at how comfortable he was considering how ominous the ride there had been, but he quickly learned that Seungyoun’s mom was only the tip of the iceberg.

As the afternoon went on, more family members spilled into the mansion. By the time the sun set, every single member of Seungyoun’s extended family had unpacked in their rooms. He and Wooseok changed into dinner clothes, which was a silly tradition, but necessary.

They entered the dining hall filled with candlelit tables. As expected, Seungyoun’s aunts had all fallen for Wooseok, and all of them wanted him to sit with them. At first Wooseok had been flustered, but he was getting used to being loved and adored. Seungyoun rolled his eyes. If he didn’t pull him away, Wooseok was going to accidentally become one of his aunts’ sugar babies. 

“He’s so handsome,” an aunt declared.

“Your face is so small,” another squeezed Wooseok’s cheek.

“My, if my grandson had brought you home instead of his wife, I might have left him in my will,” an elderly aunt teased.

Seungyoun needed to pull him out of there fast.

“Sweetheart,” he said (feeling as embarrassed as he would be when Wooseok called him out for it later), wrapping his arm around Wooseok’s waist. “We need to get to our seats. It was good seeing you all.”

The aunts giggled delightedly. He could hear them talking about how sweet and handsome Wooseok was as they walked away.

“Aren’t you enjoying this a little too much,” Seungyoun said through his teeth.

“I’m earning my money,” he said, a mischievous flicker behind his eyes. “Besides, look how good I’m making you look.”

Seungyoun frowned. It was working too well. If Wooseok kept this up, he’d be disowned when he announced their breakup. In fact, they might want to trade him for the other.

Wooseok squeezed his hand. “It’s going to be fine.”

Seungyoun nodded. 

They found their table towards the outer section of the room. There was a stage up front where his grandmother would give a toast, but they were so far back, he didn’t know if he would be able to hear her. It was fine. One day he would be closer to the front.

The rest of the guests took their seats, and his grandmother took the stage. 

“Welcome, friends and beloved family,” she said. “I’m so happy you could join us to celebrate our Yohan’s marriage to Hangyul this weekend.”

The rest of her speech was muffled, but he got the gist of it. He toasted when everyone else did, and he clapped when everyone else did. 

One of his cousins, Seungwoo, slipped into the seat next to him.

“You’re late,” Seungyoun whispered. 

Seungwoo drank from his champagne flute. “I was busy.”

“With what?”

Seungwoo nodded over to the other side of the room where a tall, red faced server fell into the back of the line. His uniform was ruffled. Seungyoun sighed.

“You didn’t,” he scolded.

“What?” Seungwoo said. “He’s cute.”

Wooseok turned back to see who they were talking about. “He seems familiar.”

“Oh, you must be Seungyoun’s boyfriend,” Seungwoo said. He lowered his voice. “What did he threaten you with to come here?”

“Excuse me?” Wooseok feigned ignorance.

“Come on,” he joked. “Our Seungyoun doesn’t date, and if he did, it would never be someone the family would  _ gush _ over this much. Did you guys just meet?”

“We’ve known each other for years,” Seungyoun said. He lowered  _ his  _ voice. “Quiet, you.”

“I can keep a secret,” Seungwoo teased. “If you can keep mine.”

He winked to the waiter from earlier. The poor server, who was probably only ruffled up moments before, placed their starters down on the table. Wooseok smiled at him. The server looked at Seungwoo in horror, who returned his glance with a head shake. 

After he left, Seungyoun scolded his cousin again. “He’s terrified.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Seungwoo tasted his food. “Don’t look at me like that. It was his idea!”

“Sure it was,” Seungyoun said. “You’re going to get sued.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Wooseok remained quiet. He focused on his food and not the fact that Seungyoun’s cousin who he had just met had just fooled around with one of the servers only moments ago.

By the time the dinner plates came, the conversation had shifted. 

“What do you do, Wooseok,” Seungwoo asked. 

“I work at a hospital,” he said. 

“Are you a doctor?”

He patted his mouth with a cloth napkin and shook his head. “I work in the administration department.”

“Interesting,” Seungwoo mused. “If you and Seungyoun married, with our grandmother’s money, you could very well end up running a hospital.”

Seungyoun kicked his cousin under the table. “Ow! I’m just saying, if you want to rack up points, you found a gold mine.”

“Points?” Wooseok asked, confused.

“You see,” Seungwoo explained. “The family has a lot of money and only the favorites get special favors from grandma. Yohan is in first place, so he’s getting all of this. Seungyoun and I are in the bottom slots, so we get stuck in the back during family events. They say it’s lonely at the top, but it’s even worse at the bottom.”

Wooseok nodded as if he understood, but Seungyoun knew he didn’t. How could he?

Wooseok shifted uncomfortably. 

“Let’s not scare him to death,” Seungyoun said. He smiled brightly. “It’s a party!”

That’s when he started drinking. Seungyoun felt so bad he went from sipping on champagne to guzzling wine. By dessert, his speech slurred and he was warm all over. They finished their cake, and most of the guests had left to either go to their rooms or to have coffee or tea somewhere on the estate. 

Their table was lively, but Wooseok tugged on his sleeve. 

“Yes, my savior flower boy! How can I be of assistance!” Seungyoun cried out.

“I think the wine went to my head,” Wooseok said quietly. “I’m going to go back to my room to rest.”

“Nooooo, don’t go!” 

“Let him go!” Seungwoo shouted it. “If you love them you must let them go! Especially if they have to go to work!”

“Shhhh,” Seungyoun said, covering his cousin’s mouth. “You’re going to get the cute waiter fired!”

Wooseok sneaked out while they were busy shushing each other. 

“Seungyoun!” Seungwoo said, slamming his hand onto the table. “Are you shettling down?”

Seungyoun shook his head and poured them another drink. “I will  _ never  _ shettle down!”

“Ishn’t that why you’re here?”

“Noooo,” Seungyoun wagged his finger. “I don’t want their money. I want them to take care of my mom.”

Seungwoo clapped. “Ahh! You’re shucking up.”

“Precishely,” he said, clinking their wine glasses together. “I have been living quite comfortably all by myshelf, you know.”

Seungwoo smiled brightly. “I’m proud of you, coushhin. You’re gonna make ush all so proud.”

Seungyoun threw his head back and laughed.

Seungwoo began to cry. “I can’t believe my baby coushhin is going to open up a hoshpital with hish pretty flower boy.”

“Noooo,” Seungyoun pouted. “I don’t want to open a hoshpital.”

“You gotta open the hoshpital!”

“No!”

Back in his room, Wooseok couldn’t help but feel sad and lonely. He had known that Seungyoun had wanted to impress his family, but he didn’t realize that he was doing it for money. Seungyoun had never been that kind of person before, but seeing this house and this other life, maybe Wooseok didn’t really know him at all.

He could judge all he wanted, but if he looked back at himself, wasn’t he doing the same? Wasn’t he pretending to be someone he wasn’t for money? Seungyoun’s family money that he was an accomplice to stealing? He sighed. He would get through this weekend, but he wouldn’t take anything from them. 

Tired and sad, he kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the bed. It was too soft, and when he closed his eyes he was fast asleep.

Wooseok awoke to a clumsy knock on the door. He opened it, and a very intoxicated Seungyeon stumbled in.

“Whoa, there,” Wooseok steadied him.

“What are you doing in my room,” Seungyoun demanded.

“This is my room,” Wooseok corrected him, shutting the door behind him. 

Seungyoun giggled. “Oh, right. You got a good room.”

Wooseok wasn’t expecting to take care of a drunk friend, but it was better that he did it and not someone Seungyoun was supposed to impress. Wooseok certainly wasn’t impressed, not that it mattered.

Seungyoun was all smiles and giggles. 

“Wooseokie,” he said, kicking off his own shoes. “Do you want to open a hoshpital with me?”

“Let’s get you into bed” Wooseok said, trying to quiet his friend down. He reached out to help Seungyoun unbutton his shirt so he wouldn’t wrinkle his nice clothes. Seungyoun giggled and tried to take off Wooseok’s clothes too. “No, no, no. We’re putting you to bed.”

Seungyoun threw his arms around Wooseok’s neck, almost knocking him over. “You know, if you weren’t my friend, I think the world wouldn’t make shense anymore.”

“Shh,” Wooseok coaxed him back. He got Seungyoun down to his boxers and undershirt. “It’s night night time.”

“I’m serious,” Seungyoun slurred. He ran his fingers through Wooseok’s hair. “I wanna be with you forever and ever. I love you sho much I wanna get married at a pretty place as pretty as you.”

Wooseok tucked him into the bed where he couldn’t use his arms for mischief. He felt a pang of sadness. 

It wasn’t the first time Seungyoun had too much to drink before confessing to him. The first time it happened, he learned to never get his hopes up because the next morning he never remembers anything. Seungyoun wouldn’t even remember coming into his room.

Wooseok was only hurting himself, but the reason he hadn’t found someone else was because of Seungyoun. A part of him clung to these false, drunken confessions as if they were real and meant for him. Seungyoun was just a loving drunk, and he swore to himself that that was the last time he waited for him to remember. When they got back to the city he would start going on dates with boys who wouldn’t wait to say they loved him when they didn’t mean it.

Seungyoun woke to a terrible hangover and a blinding light shining over him. He was in Wooseok’s room and Wooseok had forgotten to close the curtains before bed. Or he had left them open to spite him.

He reached over to an empty bed.

“Wooseok?” He looked around. He balled the sheets in his fists and pulled them towards them, hugging them to his chest. “What have I done?”

Wooseok was gone, and he knew he had screwed up. He and Seungwoo had talked about his future, and he came back to tell Wooseok that he wanted him in it. If only he hadn’t been drinking. 

He was probably furious. Seungyoun jumped out of bed, through his clothes on and headed across the hall. His bed had been slept in, but was empty. He panicked.  _ What if Wooseok went home? I have to find him _ .

He ran downstairs. The others were having breakfast on the terrace. He had to find him and explain. 

He spotted the back of Wooseok’s head at a table with his mother. 

“Wooseok,” he said out of breath. “I need to talk to you.”

“About what,” Wooseok said ambiguously sipping his orange juice.

“Last night.”

Seungyoun’s mother eyed him.

“Oh,” Wooseok said. “You must not remember. You came to my room by accident and got into the bed so I slept in yours last night. It happens.”

“Is that everything?”

“Yep,” he patted the spot across from him. “Have a seat. You look like you could eat something.”

Seungyoun’s mom relaxed. “You look awful.”

“Thanks, mom,” he said, biting into a piece of toast.

“I’ll tell the cook you need some hangover soup,” she said, standing up. “You’re not the first one to stumble out like this.”

Seungyoun and Wooseok sat across from each other, not speaking. How could he have forgotten? Not that his delivery was romantic or anything, but Wooseok seemed almost bored with him.

“Why are you staring at me,” Wooseok said. 

“Because you won’t look at me.”

Wooseok looked up at him and glared. “There. Satisfied?”

“Hoo, hoo, hoo,” Seungwoo swung in, taking a seat. “I bet you two had a good night.”

Seungyoun shook his head signaling him to stop.

“And why is that,” Wooseok said coldly. Not so cold that he was rude, but cold enough that Seungwoo got the message.

“Oh,” he said. “I thought with the way Seungyoun was talking about you…”

“He does that any time he’s drunk,” Wooseok said plainly. “He doesn’t mean it.”

Seungyoun felt like he had been kicked in the stomach, and it wasn’t the hangover. Had he done this before? Did Wooseok just think he was cleaning up Seungyoun’s sloppy, drunken mess by pretending like nothing happened? How many times had he confessed before? He surely would have never had a reason to…

“Wow. You two should get an award for acting. Seriously. From the way he was talking about you, you’d think you two were soul mates.”

“He’s very good with his words,” Wooseok sipped on his orange juice. “I think I’m going to go help your mom with the hangover soup. Sungwoo, do you want some?”

“Yes, please.”

Wooseok left them together. Seungyoun put his head on the table. “What have I done?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I blew it!”

“I thought he said you were faking it…”

“I was faking it,” Seungyoun said. “At least I thought I was. Now I’m really confused.”

Seungwoo thought for a minute. “So you get drunk and throw yourself at him all the time, and he pretends like it’s no big deal, but he still comes to a wedding with you. Not only that, but you  _ asked _ him to come to a wedding with you?”

“What’s your point?”

“Why did you ask him?

“He’s my best friend,” Seungyoun said. “I trust him.”

“But have you ever given him a reason to trust you?”

The wedding ceremony began early in the afternoon. Seungyoun and Wooseok changed into their expensive suits. His headache had subsided, but his stomach was in knots. Wooseok was unusually quiet, but he knew the reason. 

Any time he tried to apologize, Wooseok brushed him off.  _ It’s no big deal _ , he had said.  _ It happens all the time _ . It was a big deal though, he could see Wooseok was hurt. On top of that, his heart ached in a new, unfamiliar way.

The ceremony took place in the garden. They took their seats next to his mom and waited for the wedding party to arrive. As expected, Seungwoo was late from hooking up with his server and found a seat in the back.

The ground was covered in flower petals, and the groomsmen wafted over them followed by the happy couple. Unconsciously, Seungyoun reached out and hooked his pinky around Wooseok’s while they said their vows. He wondered what it would be like to say vows to someone, and pictured Wooseok across from him in a place much prettier than his grandparents’ home.

To his surprise, Wooseok let him have his pinky without pulling away. He had never felt so aware of a touch before, but he wanted to know what more would feel like. He slid his hand into Wooseok’s and squeezed it. Wooseok looked ahead to the ceremony, but Seungyoun could see tears well up out of the corner of his eye. He breathed heavily. Electric shocks pulsed from his hand, up his arm and into his chest. 

The ceremony ended and Wooseok let go. Seungyoun sat their confused while everyone else left to return to the dining hall for the reception including Wooseok who escorted Seungyoun’s mom.

He sat there by himself as the sun set, staring at his hand.  _ Right, he’s just doing what I asked him to. _

Seungyoun went back into the mansion. Music was blaring from ballroom. He found Wooseok in there dancing with his mom. He would have made her happy if he was part of the family. Seungyoun ached. He had to talk to him and make this right.

“Wow!” She exclaimed after the song ended. “Our Wooseok is an incredible dancer!”

“ _ Our _ Wooseok?”

“Yes, I’ve decided to make him my other son,” she smiled. “I need a break. Seungyoun, why don’t you take my place?”

“Actually–,” Wooseok interjected.

Seungyoun cut him off. “That sounds like a great idea.”

He grabbed Wooseok by the hand and lead him to the dancefloor. The band played a slow song, and Wooseok had no choice but to stand close to him.

Seungyoun pulled him close and put his arm around his waist.

“Is this necessary,” Wooseok whispered.

“Yes,” he said. “Don’t you think we look like a real couple?”

He pulled him closer and felt Wooseok shudder and tense. “Is your con working?”

“My mom likes you,” he said, turning them. “That’s all that matters.”

“Don’t you have to win  _ points _ ,” Wooseok asked, coldly. “For your fortune?”

It was Seungyoun who tensed that time. “I wasn’t doing this for money.”

“You don’t have to explain,” Wooseok tried to pull away, but Seungyoun’s grip was too strong. 

“I think I do,” he said. “I wanted them to see that I’m a good grandson so that they will continue to take care of my mom.”

“Oh,” Wooseok relaxed. “It’s not about the money?”

“No,” he whispered. “It was never about the money.”

The song came to an end, and Wooseok successfully broke away. Cold air replaced the spots on Seungyoun’s body where he had touched, and he shivered.

“I need some air,” Wooseok said, walking out of the ballroom. 

Seungyoun wanted to chase after him, but his grandmother stopped him.

It was the first time he had been this physically close to her in years. Even in the same building, they would never be less than 50 feet apart. Nerves overcame him at the hands of her stoney, matriarchal stare.

He sat down at a table with her, not sure what he was supposed to do or say. She was practically a stranger who owned him from a comfortable distance.

“Seungyoun,” she said, placing a cold hand on his. “It’s been so long since we’ve last seen you. How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine, grandmother,” he said, warmly. 

“Are you still in school?”

“I graduated last year,” he tried to answer her questions carefully so that they wouldn’t lead to questions that could shame his mom.

“Wonderful,” she smiled. “Have you found a job yet?”

“I haven’t,” he admitted.

Her smile faded quickly. “You haven’t asked for your grandfather or I to give you a recommendation.”

He looked down in embarrassment. “I wanted to show you both I could make it on my own.”

“Nonsense!” She chuckled. “The world is about who you know and how you know them! Why don’t you apprentice under your grandfather for a while, and we’ll set you up somewhere nice once you show us you can  _ make it on your own _ .”

Seungyoun relaxed. “I would love to.”

As long as he worked under his grandfather, his mom would be taken care of. Even if he hated it, it would be worth it.

“That young man of yours,” she started.

“Hmm?”

“He really is a sweet boy,” she mused. 

“You’ve met him?”

“Yes, this morning. He woke up early and helped the servants prepare for breakfast with your mother. It was really quite charming.”

Seungyoun looked down. Even though Wooseok was mad at him, he was still doing more than he was asked to.

She leaned over and whispered, “I think you have found a flower of your own.”

Wooseok stood on the top of the bridge over the lake. The sky was black and peppered with stars, and the cold wind pierced through his suit. He shivered, but he wasn’t ready to go back inside just yet. 

His heart ached. Seungyoun was doing everything in his power to hurt him, and he just wished he would stop. Sure it was for show, but it  _ hurt.  _ Wooseok had done his part well, and that should have been enough.

After learning that Seungyoun wasn’t using him entirely for the reason he thought he was, he relaxed. He was just being a good son, and no one could blame him for that. On top of that, his mother had been so kind to Wooseok that Wooseok loved her too. 

He would learn to forgive him, he guessed.

“Wooseok?” A voice said.

He turned to Seungyoun and smiled weakly. “I wanted to see the lake.”

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?”

Seungyoun awkwardly took his place next to his friend.

“I wonder,” Wooseok thought aloud. “If I drop a pebble, how far will the ripples reach? Will the lake even know the water has changed? If I drop a stone right into the center, will its waves even reach the shore?”

“Are you quoting something?”

“If you drop a pebble and I act like it doesn’t hurt, am I the ripple or the lake?”

Seungyoun let out a sigh. He gripped the railings of the bridge.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Wooseok said, turning away to leave. “I’m fine.”

“You’re the pebble.”

“What?”

“I’m the idiot throwing rocks into the lake to see the water change, but you’re the one who makes the waters move. The lake is just too busy up its own ass to notice that underneath the surface, it’s being effected by everything the pebble does.”

“Are you the person throwing the rock or the lake?” Wooseok teased.

“It’s your metaphor,” Seungyoun huffed. “Without you the lake is still and boring.”

Wooseok patted the hand Seungyoun gripped the rail with. “It’s okay. I get it.”

“I meant what I said,” Seungyoun said. “Last night…”

Wooseok shook his head. “I’ve heard it a thousand times, and every time, you forget.”

“This time is different.”

“How?”

“This time I love you,” he said, his voice shaking.

“That doesn’t make up for the other times where I had my heart broken,” Wooseok said, sick of it. He wanted to go back inside and sleep. 

“What if I meant it those times too,” Seungyoun said. He pushed himself back and walked towards Wooseok, touching a hand to his face. “I don’t know why I forgot.”

Wooseok pushed him away. “It doesn’t make it better if you suddenly have feelings for me when you drink that go away when you’re sober.”

Seungyoun grabbed his hand. “I’m sober right now. Look at me.”

Wooseok’s lip quivered as he looked away. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because it hurts,” he started to cry. “It hurts so much, and I can’t take it anymore.”

Seungyoun pulled him close. Wooseok buried his face into his shoulder. He wailed. 

Seungyoun squeezed him. “Look at me.”

Wooseok sniffled and looked up. Seungyoun cupped his face and pulled it to his. He kissed him gently on the forehead. 

“I’m sorry,” Seungyoun whispered. 

Wooseok felt his heart breaking all over again in his chest as Seungyoun kissed the tip of his nose and his cheeks. He hesitated before kissing him softly on the mouth. Wooseok’s knees buckled.

Seungyoun stepped him backwards against the rail. Wooseok wrapped his arms around his neck to support himself as he kissed him deeply. He heard himself let out a little gasp and blushed from embarrassment. Seungyoun smiled against his mouth.

Wooseok ran his fingers through Seungyoun’s hair as the other pushed his body against him. He worried that the rail would break beneath them, but if they fell in together, neither would have noticed.

Seungyoun’s kisses became more desperate, and Wooseok felt himself grow hungrier for him. Their rooms were so far, and they weren’t exactly hidden away in the middle of the lake. Out of his mind, Wooseok reached down to feel Seungyoun through his pants. Seungyoun moaned.

“What are we doing,” Wooseok whispered, his voice shaking.

“Not as much as we could be,” the other answered before biting Wooseok’s lower lip.

Seungyoun moved down to Wooseok’s neck and bit. Wooseok closed his eyes and pushed his body against Seungyoun. He wanted him right then and there. He didn’t care who saw.

The bridge railing let out an awful crack, and they both jumped back to the center. They laughed and dusted themselves off.

“Maybe we should go back inside,” Wooseok smiled brightly. His lips were swollen and he was out of breath.

Seungyoun, a mess himself, nodded. He wiped his mouth. “We should get back to the wedding then.”

They walked back to the party hand in hand with the secret that they would be sharing a room from then on with no intention of faking a breakup. Seungyoun got his family’s respect, but Wooseok got everything he ever wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> I will go down with this ship thanks for reading!!


End file.
